Packing pob oil-well pumps



A. H. NEILSON PACKING FOR OIL WELL PUMPS April 12, 1927.

Jaw/ S7 w 5 M lp/N ii 12 1925"?o Apr A. H. NELSON PACKING FOR OIL WELL PUMPS Filed Oct. 5G. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORN EY Patented l?, i927,

ALBERT H. NEILSGN, O?? TULSA, OKLAHOMA.

PACKING FR GIL-NELL EUMPS.

Application filed ctober 30, 1925.

Ny invention relates to oil well pumps and more particularly to a packing 'for sealing the plunger :rods oit pumps of that type, the principal object of the invention being to provide means tor automatically adjusting the i'iacking to the plunger and packing cylinder to compensate lor wear during the oliieration oil the pump.

ln accomplishing this object l have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a longitudinal View of a pump embodying my improvements, the well, the tubing, the packing cylinder and the coupling being .in longitudinal section, and parts of the pump being broken away for better illustration.

Fig. 2 is an eiilarged, longitudinal section oil the packing cylinder, illustrating application of the packing to the plunger and to the cylinder.

lig. 3 is an larged detail perspective view o'l the packing` elements in spaced but relativo relation.

llig. l is a longitudinal, sectional view of the packing cyl/"ader, showing a modified lorin olE paclil? llig. is a transverse section on the line 5mi) (lligs. 2 and 4l).

Referring more in detail to the drawings'.

1 designas an oil .vell casing terminating on the root structure 2 of an oil pool 3, and 4l the tubing which is extended through the fusing and through the well hole 5 in the root structure into the oil pool.

lnterposed in the tubingis a packing cylinder 6, connected with the tubing by couiiwlings 7 and 8, and on the lower joint of tubingl is a coupling 9 suspending the usual perforated tube 10 through which oil is admitted 'from the pool. The lower coupling 9 constitutes a seating collar for the standing valve 11, and extending through the tubing and couplings to a point above the standing valve is a hollow plunger 12 containing the usual pumping valves 13 and 14, the upper end of the plunger being operatively connected with a sucker rod 15 in the ordinary manner.

Located within the packing cylinder (5 and surrounding the plunger 1Q are packing rings and glands comprising a lower gland l" an intermediate gland 1G and an upper -1, gland 18, the top gland constituting a com- Serial No. 65,832.

bined gland and follower, as presently described.

Each el; the glands has an exterior, annular groove 2() containing a split, eXpansible, metal packing ring 21 adapted for bearing against the inner surface of the cylinder in the usual manner and for the usual purpose.

The bottom gland 17 seats on the top of the coupling 8 and has an interiorlv beveled, upper end forming a convex cup 2Q, and the intermediate gland 16 has a similar, interioriy beveled lower tace forming the convex cup 23. lnterposed between the glands 16 and 1? is a longitudinally split packing ring` 2%, the split oi which runs diagonally to avoid straight edges along the plunger rod, and the members ot the ring 24@ have registering, annular grooves 25, containing a contractible metal retaining ring 26 which tends to hold the members of the ring together and in close relation. The ends of the packing ring members are beveled reversely to the beveled edges of the glands 16 and 17 to form convex protuberanees 27 and 28 on the ends of the packing ring for seating in the cups 22 and 23 of the glands 16 and 17 so that longitudinal pressure exerted on the glands will tend to press the glands against the ends of the packing ring to draw the members of the packing ring together and against the plunger rod to seal the rod against the flow et' oil along its surface.

The gland member 18 and the upper end of the intermediate glands 16 are eXteriorly beveled, forming protuberanees 29 and 80', and interposed therebetween is a longitudinally split packing ring 31 corresponding to the ring 2d except that the ends of the ring 31 are beveled interiorly to form the cups 32 and 33 into which the protuberances on the glands 18 and 1G project to expand the ring 31 against the surface of the packing cylinder 6 to seal the cylinder and prevent flow ot oil between the packing` ring and wall oit the cylinder. The ring 31 is proH vided with an annular groove Sil, containing a retainer ring 35 for holding its members together.

The combination gland and follower meniber 1S comprises a sleeve portion 36 ot less diameter than the gland portion, and seated about the sleeve and resting on the top of the gland member is an expansion spring 37, the upper end et which surrounds a collar lOLl 1.,.. sli

38 on a packing ring 39 located within the upper end of the tube 6 and seats against said ring to force the heretofore mentioned packing rings and glands together for the purpose described. The ring 89 has an annular groove 40 containing the packing rings 4l in ordinary packing ring construction.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 4t, the packing rings are beveled as in the preferred construction, but the glands are oval in cross section, the rounded ends serving to contract or expand the packing rings as in the preferred form.

Assuming the parts to be constructed and assembled as described, the glands and packing rings are held in close relation and under pressure by the spring 37 and weight of the tubing and its contained oil, one set of wedging faces on the glands exerting longitudinal pressure against the interposed packing ring to force that packing ring againstthe plunger, and the other pair of wedging faces of the glands exertinh similar longitudinal pressure against their interposed packing ring to spread the ring outwardly against the surface of the cylinder, one packing ring sealing the plunger' and the other sealing the cylinder to prevent 'How of oil along the plunger or cylinder.

As the plunger is reciprocated in the packing, wear may occur, which might lessen the seal were it not for the fact that any such wear is taken up by contraction and expansion of the respective packing rings under longitudinal pressure of the glands.

In order to provide for readjustment of the lower packing ring members to compen sate for wear, the members of this ring are adapted for slight spread when originally installed, so that the members may be forced together when their inner surfaces have been worn. The expanding ring members need not have the original spacing, as compensation for wear in that case is effected by efrpansion of the rings rather than contraction thereof.

It is apparent that with my improved construction the pump is packed about the plunger, as well as against the cylinder and that wear of any of the parts will not result in leakage, the wear being automatically taken up by the adjustable split packing rings.

Vf hat I claim and desire to ters Patent is :e

l. In combination with a packing cylinder and a plunger rod, glands at the ends of the cylinder having concave and convex inner ends, respectively, an intermediate gland having its ends concaved and conveXed in paired relation to corresponding faces of the end glands, a packing member between the intermediate gland and the end gland having the concaved face, having its ends convexed to receive compression from said glands, and a packing member between the intermediate gland and the end gland having the coni/'ered face, having its ends concaved to receive expansion from said glands, whereby the packing members are adjustable respectively against the rod and the cylinder.

2. In combination with a packing cylin` der and a plunger rod, a bottom gland in the cylinder having a concave seat in its upper end, a gland in the cylinder above the first named gland having a concave seat in its lower end, a split packing ring interposed and filling the space between the glands and ha ving convex protuberances on its ends seating within the concavities of the glands, the upper end of the second-mentioned secure by Letgland having a convexY protuberanee on its` upper end and a third gland spaced from the second-named gland having a convex protuberance on its lower end, a second split packing' ring interposed and filling the space between the second and third-named glands having concave seats in its ends seating the protuberanccs on said second and thirdnamed giands, the glands and packing rings being grooved circumferentially, and auxiliary packing rings and retention rings in the glands and packing rings respectively.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

ALBERT H. NEILSON. 

